In 2019, Solomon Islands made international headlines when the country severed its decades-old alliance with Taiwan in exchange for a partnership with Beijing. The decision prompted international condemnation and terrified security experts, who feared Australia’s historical Pacific advantage would come unstuck. This development was framed as another example of China’s inevitable capture of the region – but this misrepresents how and why the decision was made, and how Solomon Islanders have skilfully leveraged global angst over China to achieve extraordinary gains. Despite Solomon Islands’ strategic importance, most outsiders know little about the country, a fragile island-nation stretching over a thousand islands and speaking seventy indigenous languages. In Divided Isles, Edward Cavanough explains how the switch played out on the ground and considers its extraordinary potential consequences. He speaks with the dissidents and politicians who shape Solomon Islands’ politics, and to the ordinary people whose lives have been upended by a decision that has changed the country – and the region – forever.

The authors investigate the exceptional political economy of the ten inhabited islands whose territory is divided amongst two or more countries: that are unitary geographical spaces but fragmented polities.

A core introductory textbook that provides students with a concise overview of the full sweep of English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh history, from pre-Roman times right through to the present day. Jeremy Black offers a balanced and absorbing account of a group of islands, their peoples, their extraordinary shared past and their remarkable impact on the rest of the world. This is an ideal set text for dedicated modules on British history, or a supplementary text for broader modules on European history, which may be offered at all levels of an undergraduate history or European studies degree. In addition it is a crucial resource for students who may be studying the history of Britain for the first time as part of a taught postgraduate degree in British or European history. New to this Edition: - Revised and updated throughout in light of the latest research - Provides coverage of recent events - Pays greater attention to social developments

First Published in 2004. Islands have always fascinated people. They often seem remote and mysterious, set between the continents on which most people live. Indeed, many people choose islands for their perfect holiday idyll. In practice, however, the everyday social and economic reality is often very different. A Geography of Islands firstly examines the differing ways islands are formed. Despite the uniqueness of such islands in terms of shape, size, flora and fauna, and also their economic and developmental profiles, they all share certain characteristics and constraints imposed by their insularity. These present islands everywhere with a range of common problems. A Geography of Islands considers how their small scale, isolation, peripherality and often a lack of resources, has affected islands, in the present day and their past. It considers and discusses population issues, communications and services, island politics and new ways of making a living, especially tourism, found within contemporary island geography. A Geography of Islands gives a comprehensive survey of ‘islandness’ and its defining features. Stephen A. Royle has visited and studied 320 islands in 50 countries in all the world’s oceans. It is full of up-to-date global case studies, from Okinawa to Inishbofin, and Hawaii to Crete. In the final chapter, all the themes are brought together in a case study of the Atlantic island of St Helena. It is well illustrated with the author’s own photographs and maps. This book will appeal to those studying islands as well as those with an interest in the topic, particularly those engaged in dealing with small island economies.

A clear, comprehensive survey of British history from 1900 to the present, integrating political, economic, social and cultural history.

"Canberra's strategic illusions are the ultimate cause of our AUKUS debacle, but politics is involved too." HUGH WHITE The twentieth issue of Australian Foreign Affairs examines Australia's momentous decision to form a security pact with the United States and the United Kingdom that includes an ambitious, expensive and risky plan to acquire nuclear-power submarines – a move that will have far-reaching military and strategic consequences. Dead in the Water looks at whether AUKUS will enhance or undermine Australia's security as tensions between China and the US rise, how the deal will affect Australia's ties with its regional neighbours, and whether the submarines are likely to ever arrive. Hugh White examines whether Australia needs nuclear-powered submarines and whether the AUKUS plan will deliver them. Susannah Patton looks at the lessons for Australia from the region's responses to AUKUS. Elizabeth Buchanan explores how Australia could use its valuable geography to enhance ties with AUKUS allies and other partners. Andrew Davies weighs the benefits of nuclear-powered submarines against the costs of acquiring and maintaining them. Hervé Lemahieu proposes that Australia pursue a common travel area and an integrated digital market with the Pacific. Jack Corbett considers Solomon Islands' economic options in an era of great power rivalry. PLUS Paul Monk on Australia's military posture, correspondence on AFA19: The New Domino Theory from Albert Zhang and Jieh-Yung Lo, and more.

Reproduction of the original: Evolution Its Nature by Joseph Le Conte